Blockchain-based transaction processing method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A target transaction initiated by a member node device in a blockchain is received, where the target transaction include a reference time parameter, and where the target transaction indicates a transfer of an asset and associated data released by the member node device to the blockchain for transfer to a candidate block. Based on the reference time parameter, a determination is performed as to whether the target transaction is a valid transaction within a transaction validity period. In response to determining that the target transaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validity period, the target transaction is recorded to the candidate block.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/424,683, filed on May 29, 2019, which claims priority to ChinesePatent Application No. 201810531740.6, filed on May 29, 2018, and eachapplication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

One or more implementations of the present specification relate to thefield of blockchain technologies, and in particular, to ablockchain-based transaction processing method and apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Blockchain technology, also referred to as the distributed ledgertechnology, is a new technology in which computing devices jointlyparticipate in “accounting” and jointly maintain a complete distributeddatabase. The blockchain technology is featured by decentralization, andpublicity and transparency. In the blockchain technology, each computingdevice can participate in database recording, and data synchronizationcan be quickly implemented between computing devices. In considerationof the above, the blockchain technology is used to establish adecentralized system, and various execution programs are collected in ablockchain distributed database for automatic execution. The blockchaintechnology has been widely applied in various fields.

SUMMARY

The present specification provides a blockchain-based transactionprocessing method, including: receiving a target transaction initiatedby a member node device in a blockchain, where the target transactionincludes a reference time parameter, and the reference time parameter isused to determine whether the target transaction is a valid transactionwithin a transaction validity period; determining, based on thereference time parameter, whether the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period; and recording thetarget transaction to a generated candidate block if it is determinedthat the target transaction is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period.

Optionally, the reference time parameter is a reference time stampgenerated when the target transaction is created, the transactionvalidity period corresponds to a numerical interval between a firstvalue and a second value, the first value is a difference between acreation time stamp of the candidate block and a first threshold, andthe second value is a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidateblock and a second threshold; and the determining, based on thereference time parameter, whether the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period includes: comparingthe reference time stamp with each of the first value and the secondvalue; and if the reference time stamp is greater than the first valueand less than the second value, determining that the target transactionis a valid transaction within the transaction validity period.

Optionally, before the comparing the reference time stamp with each ofthe first value and the second value, the method further includes:checking whether the creation time stamp of the candidate block isgreater than a creation time stamp of a latest block in the blockchain;and if yes, further comparing the reference time stamp with each of thefirst value and the second value.

Optionally, the reference time stamp is a system time stamp when thetarget transaction is created, or a reference time stamp specified by atransaction creator.

Optionally, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

Optionally, the reference time parameter is a reference block heightvalue generated when the target transaction is created, the transactionvalidity period corresponds to a numerical interval between a thirdvalue and a block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,and the third value is a difference between the block height value ofthe candidate block in the blockchain and a third threshold; and thedetermining, based on the reference time parameter, whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod includes: comparing the reference block height value with each ofthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and thethird value; and if the reference block height value is greater than thethird value and less than the block height value of the candidate blockin the blockchain, determining that the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period.

Optionally, before the comparing the reference block height value witheach of the block height value of the candidate block in the blockchainand the third value, the method further includes: checking whether ablock number of the candidate block is greater than a block number of alatest block in the blockchain; and if yes, further comparing thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the third value.

Optionally, the reference block height value is a largest block heightvalue in the blockchain when the target transaction is created, or areference block height value specified by a transaction creator.

Optionally, the target transaction further includes a unique identifierof the target transaction; and the recording the target transaction to agenerated candidate block if it is determined that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod includes: if it is determined that the target transaction is avalid transaction within the transaction validity period, queryingwhether a transaction idempotent record corresponding to the uniqueidentifier of the target transaction is stored in a predeterminedtransaction idempotent table, where the transaction idempotent table isused to store a transaction idempotent record corresponding to a validtransaction within the transaction validity period; and if thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction is not stored in the predetermined transactionidempotent table, recording the target transaction to the candidateblock.

Optionally, the transaction idempotent record indicates that atransaction corresponding to the transaction idempotent record has beensuccessfully recorded to a distributed database of the blockchain; andthe method further includes: if the target transaction is recorded tothe candidate block, and after a consensus on the candidate block hasbeen reached, the candidate block is successfully stored to thedistributed database of the blockchain, generating the transactionidempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier of the targettransaction, and inserting the transaction idempotent record into thetransaction idempotent table.

Optionally, the method further includes: periodically deleting atransaction idempotent record of a transaction beyond the transactionvalidity period in the transaction idempotent table.

The present specification further provides a blockchain-basedtransaction processing apparatus, including: a receiving module,configured to receive a target transaction initiated by a member nodedevice in a blockchain, where the target transaction includes areference time parameter, and the reference time parameter is used todetermine whether the target transaction is a valid transaction within atransaction validity period; a determining module, configured todetermine, based on the reference time parameter, whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; and a recording module, configured to record the targettransaction to a generated candidate block if it is determined that thetarget transaction is a valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period.

Optionally, the reference time parameter is a reference time stampgenerated when the target transaction is created, the transactionvalidity period corresponds to a numerical interval between a firstvalue and a second value, the first value is a difference between acreation time stamp of the candidate block and a first threshold, andthe second value is a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidateblock and a second threshold; and the determining module is configuredto: compare the reference time stamp with each of the first value andthe second value; and if the reference time stamp is greater than thefirst value and less than the second value, determine that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod.

Optionally, the determining module is further configured to: beforecomparing the reference time stamp with each of the first value and thesecond value, check whether the creation time stamp of the candidateblock is greater than a creation time stamp of a latest block in theblockchain; and if yes, further compare the reference time stamp witheach of the first value and the second value.

Optionally, the reference time stamp is a system time stamp when thetarget transaction is created, or a reference time stamp specified by atransaction creator.

Optionally, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

Optionally, the reference time parameter is a reference block heightvalue generated when the target transaction is created, the transactionvalidity period corresponds to a numerical interval between a thirdvalue and a block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,and the third value is a difference between the block height value ofthe candidate block in the blockchain and a third threshold; and thedetermining module is configured to: compare the reference block heightvalue with each of the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and the third value; and if the reference block height valueis greater than the third value and less than the block height value ofthe candidate block in the blockchain, determine that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod.

Optionally, the determining module is further configured to: beforecomparing the reference block height value with each of the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain and the third value,check whether a block number of the candidate block is greater than ablock number of a latest block in the blockchain; and if yes, furthercompare the reference block height value with each of the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain and the third value.

Optionally, the reference block height value is a largest block heightvalue in the blockchain when the target transaction is created, or areference block height value specified by a transaction creator.

Optionally, the target transaction further includes a unique identifierof the target transaction; and the recording module is furtherconfigured to: if it is determined that the target transaction is avalid transaction within the transaction validity period, query whethera transaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifierof the target transaction is stored in a predetermined transactionidempotent table, where the transaction idempotent table is used tostore a transaction idempotent record corresponding to a validtransaction within the transaction validity period; and if thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction is not stored in the predetermined transactionidempotent table, record the target transaction to the candidate block.

Optionally, the transaction idempotent record indicates that atransaction corresponding to the transaction idempotent record has beensuccessfully recorded to a distributed database of the blockchain; andthe recording module is further configured to: if the target transactionis recorded to the candidate block, and after a consensus on thecandidate block has been reached, the candidate block is successfullystored to the distributed database of the blockchain, generate thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction, and insert the transaction idempotent recordinto the transaction idempotent table.

Optionally, the recording module is further configured to: periodicallydelete a transaction idempotent record of a transaction beyond thetransaction validity period in the transaction idempotent table.

The present specification further provides an electronic device,including: a processor; and a memory, configured to store a machineexecutable instruction, where the processor reads and executes themachine executable instruction stored in the memory and corresponding toblockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: receive atarget transaction initiated by a member node device in a blockchain,where the target transaction includes a reference time parameter, andthe reference time parameter is used to determine whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within a transaction validity period;determine, based on the reference time parameter, whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; and record the target transaction to a generated candidate blockif it is determined that the target transaction is a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a blockchain-based transactionprocessing method, according to an example implementation;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating an electronicdevice, according to an example implementation;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a blockchain-based transactionprocessing apparatus, according to an example implementation; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a computer-implementedmethod for blockchain-based transaction processing, according to animplementation of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATIONS

The present specification is intended to provide a technical solution,to set a transaction validity period for a transaction sent to ablockchain, and ensure that a node device in the blockchain can recordonly a transaction within the transaction validity period to a candidateblock.

During implementation, an operator of the blockchain can uniformly set atransaction validity period for transactions sent to the blockchain.

For example, in actual applications, the transaction validity period canbe a period of time before a creation moment at which a node device (forexample, a node device serving as a “ledger node”) in the blockchaincreates a candidate block within a current accounting period, or aperiod of time after a creation moment of a candidate block.

When a user creates a transaction by using a client, a reference timeparameter used to determine whether the transaction is a validtransaction within the previous transaction validity period can be addedto the transaction, and then the transaction is sent to the blockchainby using a node device accessed by the client.

After receiving the transaction, in a process of verifying thetransaction, another node device in the blockchain can verify, based onthe reference time parameter carried in the transaction, whether thetransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; and record the transaction to the candidate block if thetransaction is confirmed as a valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period.

Based on the previous technical solution, only a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period can be used as a legaltransaction and recorded to the candidate block, while an illegal nodedevice in the blockchain can be prevented from initiating a replayattack on the blockchain by using an expired transaction intercepted bythe illegal node device long time before, thereby improving atransaction security level of the blockchain.

The following describes the present specification by usingimplementations with reference to application scenarios.

FIG. 1 shows a blockchain-based transaction processing method accordingto an implementation of the present specification. The method is appliedto any node device in a blockchain, including the following steps:

Step 102: Receive a target transaction initiated by a member node devicein a blockchain, where the target transaction includes a reference timeparameter, and the reference time parameter is used to determine whetherthe target transaction is a valid transaction within a transactionvalidity period.

Step 104: Determine, based on the reference time parameter, whether thetarget transaction is a valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period.

Step 106: Record the target transaction to a generated candidate blockif it is determined that the target transaction is a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period.

The blockchain described in the present specification can include aprivate blockchain, a public blockchain, a consortium blockchain, etc.This is not specifically limited in the present specification.

For example, in a scenario, the blockchain can be a consortiumblockchain consisting of a third-party payment platform server, adomestic bank server, an abroad bank server, and several user nodedevices serving as member devices. An operator of the consortiumblockchain can rely on the consortium blockchain to online deploy onlineservices such as a cross-border transfer and an asset transfer based onthe consortium blockchain.

The transaction (e.g., a cross-border transfer or an asset transfer,etc.) described in the present specification indicates a piece of datathat is created by a user by using a client of a blockchain and thatneeds to be finally sent to a distributed database of the blockchain.

The transaction in the blockchain is classified as a transaction in anarrow sense and a transaction in a broad sense. The transaction in anarrow sense indicates a value transfer released by the user to theblockchain. For example, in a conventional bitcoin blockchain network,the transaction can be a transfer initiated by the user in theblockchain. The transaction in a broad sense indicates service datareleased with a service intention by the user to the blockchain. Forexample, an operator can create a consortium blockchain based on anactual service requirement, and deploy other types of online services(such as a house rental service, a vehicle scheduling service, aninsurance settlement service, a credit service, and a medical service)irrelative to a value transfer based on the consortium blockchain. Inthis type of consortium blockchain, the transaction can be a servicemessage or a service request released with a service intention by theuser in the consortium blockchain.

The target transaction is a candidate transaction that needs to bepacked and recorded to the candidate block, and that is selected by thenode device serving as a ledger node in the blockchain fromsuccessfully-verified legal transactions released by other member nodedevices.

The transaction validity period is a validity period uniformly set by anoperator of the blockchain for transactions sent to the blockchain.Transactions within the validity period are considered as legaltransactions that can be used as valid transactions and added to thecandidate block; otherwise, transactions beyond the validity period areconsidered as invalid transactions that cannot be added to the candidateblock.

The transaction validity period can be a time interval set based on acreation moment at which the ledger node device in the blockchaincreates the candidate block within a current accounting period. Forexample, the transaction validity period can be a period of time beforethe creation moment of the candidate block, or a period of time afterthe creation moment of the candidate block. When obtaining a largenumber of transactions released by other node devices in the blockchain,the ledger node can determine, based on the transaction validity period,transactions that can be used as legal transactions and added to thegenerated candidate block.

The reference time parameter can be a time parameter added to atransaction and used to determine whether a transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period. When performingverification on the collected transactions, with reference to the momentindicated by the reference time parameter carried in the transaction,the ledger node in the blockchain can determine whether the transactionis a valid transaction within the transaction valid period.

The reference time parameter can be a physical clock, or can be alogical clock.

The physical clock is a system time stamp read from a system or from athird-party clock server. The logical clock is a logical time stamp. Ina distributed system, any automatically increasing value that canindicate an occurrence order of events (such as transactions) can beused as a logical clock.

In an implementation, in an example in which the reference timeparameter is a physical clock, the reference time parameter can be areference time stamp added to the transaction. Correspondingly, in thiscase, the transaction validity period can be a numerical intervalbetween a first value and a second value, where the first value can be adifference between a creation time stamp corresponding to a creationmoment of the candidate block and a first threshold, and the secondvalue can be a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidate block anda second threshold.

For example, it is assumed that the creation time stamp of the candidateblock is denoted as B_(ts), the first threshold is denoted as K1, andthe second threshold is denoted as K2. Then, the transaction validityperiod can be indicated by using a numerical interval [B_(ts)−K1,B_(ts)+K2].

The first threshold indicates transaction validity duration reservedwhen the transaction validity period is set. The second thresholdindicates a clock offset between a system time stamp of the node devicereleasing the transaction and a system time stamp of the node devicecreating the candidate block. Usually, a clock offset allowed in theblockchain network is relatively small in actual applications. Inconsideration of this, when the transaction validity period is set, thesecond threshold can be set to a threshold less than the first thresholdin order of magnitude.

For example, the first threshold can be set to five days, and the secondthreshold can be set to 5 minutes. In this case, a transaction releasedwithin five days before the moment of creating the candidate block and atransaction released within 5 minutes after the moment of creating thecandidate block are both valid transactions within the transactionvalidity period.

It is worthwhile to note that the reference time stamp can be manuallyspecified by the user when the user creates the transaction by using theclient, or can be automatically added by the client.

For example, in a case, when the user creates the transaction by usingthe client, the client can read the creation moment of the transactionfrom the system, then use the time stamp corresponding to the creationmoment as the reference time stamp, and automatically add the time stampto the created transaction. In another case, the user can specify amoment within the transaction validity period based on a requirement,then use a time stamp corresponding to the moment as the reference timestamp, and manually add the time stamp to the created transaction.

Certainly, in actual applications, the clock offset between the systemtime stamp of the node device releasing the transaction and the systemtime stamp of the node device creating the candidate block may not beconsidered when the transaction validity period is set. In this case,the transaction validity period can be a numerical interval between afirst value representing the difference between the creation time stampcorresponding to the creation moment of the candidate block and thefirst threshold, and the creation time stamp of the candidate block.

For example, it is still assumed that the creation time stamp of thecandidate block is denoted as B_(ts), and the first threshold is denotedas K1. Then, the transaction validity period can be indicated by using anumerical interval [B_(ts)−K1, B_(ts)].

In another implementation, in an example in which the reference timeparameter is a logical clock, a block height of a block in theblockchain can be used as a logical clock in a P2P network correspondingto the blockchain. In this case, the reference time parameter can be areference block height value added to the transaction. The transactionvalidity period can be a numerical interval between a block height valueof the candidate block in the blockchain and a difference (a thirdvalue) between the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and a third threshold.

For example, it is assumed that the block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain is denoted as B_(h), and the third threshold isdenoted as K3. Then, the transaction validity period can be indicated byusing a numerical interval [B_(h)−K3, B_(h)].

The third threshold has a same meaning as the first threshold,indicating transaction validity duration reserved when the transactionvalidity period is set. However, in a scenario in which the block heightvalue is used as a logical clock to indicate the transaction validityperiod, the clock offset between the system time stamp of the nodedevice releasing the transaction and the system time stamp of the nodedevice creating the candidate block may not be considered. Therefore,the threshold indicating the clock offset may not be added to the upperlimit of the above numerical interval.

It is worthwhile to note that the reference block height value can bemanually specified by the user when the user creates the transaction byusing the client, or can be automatically added by the client.

For example, in a case, when the user creates the transaction by usingthe client, the client can read the creation moment of the transactionfrom the system, then further query the largest block height value inthe blockchain at the creation moment, and automatically add the largestblock height value to the created transaction. In another case, the usercan specify a block height within the transaction validity period basedon a requirement, then use a value corresponding to the block height asthe reference block height value, and manually add the value to thecreated transaction.

Certainly, in addition to the implementation of using the block heightof the block in the blockchain as a logical clock, in actualapplications, other types of increasing values that can be used todescribe an occurrence order of transactions can also be used as logicalclocks. These values are not enumerated in the present specification oneby one.

In the present specification, the transaction created by the user byusing the client can be signed based on a private key held by the user,and then the transaction is broadcast and released in the P2P network ofthe blockchain by using the node device accessed by the client. The nodedevice serving as the ledger node can collect a transaction broadcastand released by another node device, use the collected transaction as anunacknowledged transaction, and store the collected transaction in alocal transaction pool (also referred to as a memory pool).

Further, the node device serving as the ledger node can create thecandidate block within the current accounting period, perform legalverification on the transaction in the transaction pool, use atransaction passing the legal verification as a candidate transaction,and record the transaction to the created candidate block.

In actual applications, the performing verification on the transactionin the transaction pool can include identity authentication on thepublisher of the transaction and a check on transaction content. Thecheck on transaction content can further include an integrity check onthe transaction content.

During implementation, when the transaction is signed, generally,calculation can be performed on the transaction to obtain a contentabstract (for example, a hash value), and then the content abstract canbe encrypted based on the held private key to obtain a digitalsignature. After receiving the signed transaction, the node deviceserving as the ledger node can decrypt the digital signature based onthe private key used when the transaction is signed. If the node devicesucceeds in the decryption, it indicates that the identityauthentication of the user releasing the transaction succeeds, and thetransaction is a legal transaction released by the user.

In addition, the node device serving as the ledger node can furtherperform recalculation on the transaction to obtain a content abstract,and then match the recalculated content abstract with the originalcontent abstract obtained by decrypting the digital signature. If thecontent abstract matches the original content abstract, it indicatesthat the integrity check on the transaction content succeeds, and thetransaction content of the transaction is not illegally tampered withduring the transaction transmission process.

In the present specification, in addition to the identity authenticationon the publisher of the transactions in the transaction pool and theverification on the transaction content, it is further verified that,based on the reference time parameter carried in the transaction,whether the transaction in the transaction pool is a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period. For a transaction in thetransaction pool that passes both the identity authentication on thepublisher and the verification on the transaction content, whether thetransaction in the transaction pool is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period can be further verified based on thereference time parameter carried in this type of transaction.

In a shown implementation, it is assumed that the reference timeparameter is a reference time stamp added to the transaction and denotedas T_(ts), and the transaction validity period is a numerical interval[B_(ts)−K1, B_(ts)+K2] between the difference between the creation timestamp B_(ts) corresponding to the creation moment of the candidate blockand the first threshold K1, and the sum of the creation time stampB_(ts) of the candidate block and the second threshold K2.

In this case, the node device serving as the ledger node can firstperform a monotonic increase check on the creation time stamp of thecreated candidate block, to check whether the creation time stamp B_(ts)of the created candidate block is greater than a creation time stamp ofa latest block in the blockchain. If yes, it indicates that thecandidate block meets a feature that the creation time stamp of theblock in the blockchain monotonically increases, and the candidate blockis a legal block.

After the candidate block passes the monotonic increase check, the nodedevice serving as the ledger node can further read the reference timestamp T_(ts) from the transaction, and compare the read reference timestamp T_(ts) with each of B_(ts)−K1 and B_(ts)+K2. If T_(ts) is greaterthan B_(ts)−K1 and less than B_(ts)+K2, the transaction can bedetermined as a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod.

In a shown implementation, it is assumed that the reference timeparameter is a reference block height value added to the transaction anddenoted as T_(h), and the transaction validity period is a numericalinterval [B_(h)−K3, B_(h)] between the difference between the blockheight value B_(h) of the candidate block in the blockchain and thethird threshold K3, and the block height value B_(h) of the candidateblock in the blockchain.

In this case, the node device serving as the ledger node can firstperform a monotonic increase check on a block number of the createdcandidate block, to check whether the block number of the createdcandidate block is greater than a block number of a latest block in theblockchain. If yes, it indicates that the candidate block meets afeature that the block number of the block in the blockchainmonotonically increases, and the candidate block is a legal block.

After the candidate block passes the monotonic increase check, the nodedevice serving as the ledger node can further read the reference blockheight value T_(h) from the transaction, and compare the read referenceblock height value T_(h) with each of B_(h)−K3 and B_(h). If T_(h) isgreater than B_(h)−K3 and less than B_(h), the transaction can bedetermined as a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod.

In the present specification, the transaction passing the identityauthentication on the publisher and the verification on the transactioncontent in the transaction pool and the transaction passing the legalverification on the transaction can be used as candidate transactionsand then packed and recorded to the created candidate block.

For example, the node device serving as the ledger node can use, ascandidate transactions, all transactions passing the legal verification,and record these transactions to the candidate block; or select, ascandidate transactions based on a certain principle (for example, basedon a priority of a transaction), some transactions from all transactionspassing the legal verification, and record these transactions to thecandidate block.

In the method, only the valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period can be used as a legal transaction and recorded to thecandidate block, while a transaction expired a long time before cannotbe recorded to the candidate block for subsequent transaction execution,so that an illegal node device in the blockchain can be prevented frominitiating a replay attack on the blockchain by using the expiredtransaction intercepted by the illegal node device long time before,thereby improving a transaction security level of the blockchain.

In the present specification, a transaction execution environment of thenode device serving as the ledger node can be a multi-instance executionenvironment (for example, a same transaction client enables a pluralityof threads that can initiate a transaction simultaneously). In themulti-instance execution environment, the same transaction can berepeatedly submitted by different instances of the same node device.Consequently, an “idempotent” problem can exist during transactionexecution in the blockchain. The “idempotent” problem means that anegative impact is caused to the user after the same transaction isrepeatedly executed.

For example, a “double spending” (double spending) problem in a bitcoinnetwork is a typical “idempotent” problem. A transfer transaction signedby using the private key of the user is intercepted by an illegal node.After the transaction is executed, the illegal node can initiate areplay attack based on the intercepted transaction, and repeatedlyexecute the transaction in the blockchain. As a result, the same fundtransfer is executed a plurality of times, causing a fund loss to theuser.

In consideration of this, to reduce repeated execution of a transactionin the multi-instance execution environment, node devices serving asledger nodes in the blockchain can jointly maintain a transactionidempotent table. For example, node devices serving as ledger nodes canjointly maintain, by using an existing consensus mechanism of theblockchain, a transaction idempotent table obtained after a consensusprocedure.

The transaction idempotent table is an index record table created basedon a storage record (in other words, a block record) of distributed datain the blockchain that records the valid transactions within thetransaction validity period, and is used to store transaction idempotentrecords corresponding to all valid transactions successfully recorded tothe distributed database of the blockchain.

In other words, the transaction idempotent record stored in thetransaction idempotent table is used to indicate that a transactioncorresponding to the transaction idempotent record has been successfullypacked into the candidate block, and after a consensus on the candidateblock has been reached, the candidate block can be finally used as alatest block in the blockchain and successfully added to the distributeddatabase (in other words, a distributed ledger) in the blockchain.

Before recording a valid transaction to the candidate block, the nodedevice serving as the ledger node can further perform an idempotentcheck on the transaction based on the transaction idempotent table, todetermine whether the transaction is a duplicate transaction that hasbeen successfully recorded to the distributed database of theblockchain.

In a shown implementation, in addition to the reference time parameterdescribed above, the transaction created by the user by using the clientcan further carry a unique identifier created by the client for thetransaction.

For example, in actual applications, a node device in the blockchain canbe a node device configured with a plurality of instances, and eachinstance has a unique instance ID. In this case, a transaction serialnumber can be a unique transaction serial number including an instanceID and a generated random number.

For another example, if a node device in the blockchain is a distributeddevice including a plurality of devices, and each device has a uniquedevice identifier (for example, a device ID or an IP address of thedevice). In this case, a transaction serial number can be a uniquetransaction serial number including a device identifier and a generatedrandom number.

After determining that a collected transaction is a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period, the node device serving as theledger node can further query whether a transaction idempotent recordcorresponding to the unique identifier of the transaction is stored inthe transaction idempotent table.

If the transaction idempotent record corresponding to the uniqueidentifier of the transaction is stored in the transaction idempotenttable, it indicates that the transaction has been successfully recordedto the distributed database of the blockchain before, and thetransaction is a repeatedly initiated transaction. In this case, thetransaction can be directly discarded.

However, if the transaction idempotent record corresponding to theunique identifier of the transaction is not stored in the transactionidempotent table, it indicates that the transaction has not beensuccessfully recorded to the distributed database of the blockchainbefore. In this case, the node device can record the transaction to thecandidate block.

In the present specification, after the candidate block is generated,the node device serving as the ledger node can further broadcast andrelease the generated candidate block in the blockchain, and initiateconsensus processing on the transaction recorded in the candidate blockin the blockchain based on a consensus algorithm supported by theblockchain, to “compete” for accounting permission.

A type of the consensus algorithm supported in the blockchain is notlimited in the present specification. In actual applications, theconsensus algorithm can be a standard consensus algorithm such as proofof work (PoW) and a PBFT algorithm, or can be customized by the operatorof the blockchain based on an actual service requirement.

After a consensus on the candidate block has been reached, and the nodedevice serving as the ledger node obtains the accounting permission, thecandidate block can be used as the latest block in the blockchain andadded to the distributed database (in other words, a distributed ledger)of the blockchain. In this case, the candidate block is used as a blockin the blockchain and is permanently stored in the blockchain.

In addition, in a transaction execution environment of the node device,the node device can trigger, based on the transaction content carried inthe transaction, execution of the transaction obtaining consensus andrecorded in the candidate block. For example, these transactions can beused as inputs to a smart contract that has been sent to the blockchain.Transaction execution program code (for example, some function callsrelated to the transaction) in claims of the smart contract is executedto complete execution of the transaction in the transaction executionenvironment of the node device.

In a shown implementation, the target transaction is successfullyrecorded to the candidate block, and after a consensus on the candidateblock has been reached, the candidate block can be finally used as thelatest block in the blockchain and successfully stored in thedistributed database of the blockchain. In this case, the targettransaction has been successfully stored in the distributed database ofthe blockchain (in other words, the transaction is successfullychained). A transaction idempotent record corresponding to the uniqueidentifier of the target transaction can be further generated, and thetransaction idempotent record is inserted into the transactionidempotent table.

A format of the transaction idempotent record is not limited in thepresent specification. For example, in a method, the transactionidempotent record can be a data record including the unique identifierof the transaction. Alternatively, in another method, the uniqueidentifier of the transaction can be directly used as the transactionidempotent record and inserted into the transaction idempotent table.

In the method, because transaction idempotent records in the transactionidempotent table cover only transaction idempotent records of all “validtransactions” within the transaction validity period, and does not needto cover transaction idempotent records of historical transactionsbefore the transaction validity period. Therefore, the transactionidempotent table does not consume excessively large storage space, and aquery performance problem caused because excessively large storage spaceconsumed by the transaction idempotent table does not exist.

For example, for any node device that can be used as a ledger node,because the transaction idempotent table occupies relatively smallstorage space, the transaction idempotent table can be directly loadedand maintained in a memory of a device, instead of being stored by usinga third-party storage disk. A query operation for the transactionidempotent table can be directly performed in the memory, therebygreatly improving query performance.

In addition, for all valid transactions, only those transactions that donot have transaction idempotent records in the transaction idempotenttable can be successfully recorded to the candidate block. Therefore, an“idempotent” problem can be alleviated during transaction execution inthe blockchain, and a playback attack initiated by some illegal nodes byusing an intercepted valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod can be effectively prevented, thereby reducing repeated executionof the same valid transaction.

In addition, in a scenario in which a plurality of instances areconfigured for the node device in the blockchain or the node device is adistributed device, the following problem of repeated execution of asame transaction can also be effectively alleviated: A same validtransaction is concurrently released by different instances or differentsub-devices in the distributed device.

In the present specification, because the transaction idempotent tableis used to maintain the transaction idempotent record corresponding tothe “valid transaction” within the transaction validity period, inactual applications, member node devices jointly maintaining thetransaction idempotent table can periodically perform deletionprocessing, to delete a transaction idempotent record of a transactionbeyond the transaction validity period from the transaction idempotenttable.

For example, the transaction validity period is a time interval setbased on the creation moment of the candidate block created by theledger node device in the blockchain in the current accounting period.Because the candidate block is periodically created, the transactionvalidity period is also a periodic dynamic time period. In this case,when creating a new candidate block in a next accounting period, thenode device can redetermine the transaction validity period, and thenactively search the transaction idempotent table for a transactionidempotent record of a transaction beyond the redetermined transactionvalidity period. For example, whether the transaction falls beyond theredetermined transaction validity period can still be determined basedon the reference time parameter in the transaction. A specificimplementation process is omitted here.

Further, these found transaction idempotent records can be deleted todynamically update and maintain the transaction idempotent recordsmaintained in the transaction idempotent table. This ensures that thetransaction idempotent records in the transaction idempotent table areall transaction idempotent records corresponding to the validtransactions within the current transaction validity period.

The present application further provides a blockchain-based transactionprocessing apparatus implementation corresponding to the previous methodimplementation. Implementations of the blockchain-based transactionprocessing apparatus in the present specification can be applied to anelectronic device. The apparatus implementation can be implemented bysoftware, hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. Softwareimplementation is used as an example. As a logical apparatus, theapparatus is formed by reading a corresponding computer programinstruction in a non-volatile memory to a memory by a processor of anelectronic device in which the apparatus is located. In terms ofhardware, FIG. 2 is a hardware structural diagram illustrating anelectronic device in which the blockchain-based transaction processingapparatus is located according to the present specification. In additionto a processor, a memory, a network interface, and a non-volatile memoryshown in FIG. 2, the electronic device in which the apparatus is locatedin the present implementation can usually include other hardware basedon an actual function of the electronic device. Details are omitted herefor simplicity.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a blockchain-based transactionprocessing apparatus, according to an example implementation of thepresent specification.

Referring to FIG. 3, the blockchain-based transaction processingapparatus 30 can be applied to the electronic device shown in FIG. 2,and includes a receiving module 301, a determining module 302, and arecoding module 303.

The receiving module 301 is configured to receive a target transactioninitiated by a member node device in a blockchain, where the targettransaction includes a reference time parameter, and the reference timeparameter is used to determine whether the target transaction is a validtransaction within a transaction validity period.

The determining module 302 is configured to determine, based on thereference time parameter, whether the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period.

The recording module 303 is configured to record the target transactionto a generated candidate block if it is determined that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod.

In the present implementation, the reference time parameter is areference time stamp generated when the target transaction is created,the transaction validity period corresponds to a numerical intervalbetween a first value and a second value, the first value is adifference between a creation time stamp of the candidate block and afirst threshold, and the second value is a sum of the creation timestamp of the candidate block and a second threshold; and the determiningmodule 302 is configured to: compare the reference time stamp with eachof the first value and the second value; and if the reference time stampis greater than the first value and less than the second value,determine that the target transaction is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period.

In the present implementation, the determining module 302 is furtherconfigured to: before comparing the reference time stamp with each ofthe first value and the second value, check whether the creation timestamp of the candidate block is greater than a creation time stamp of alatest block in the blockchain; and if yes, further compare thereference time stamp with each of the first value and the second value.

In the present implementation, the reference time stamp is a system timestamp when the target transaction is created, or a reference time stampspecified by a transaction creator.

In the present implementation, the first threshold is greater than thesecond threshold.

In the present implementation, the reference time parameter is areference block height value generated when the target transaction iscreated, the transaction validity period corresponds to a numericalinterval between a third value and a block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain, and the third value is a difference between theblock height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and a thirdthreshold; and the determining module 302 is configured to: compare thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the third value; and if thereference block height value is greater than the third value and lessthan the block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,determine that the target transaction is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period.

In the present implementation, the determining module 302 is furtherconfigured to: before comparing the reference block height value witheach of the block height value of the candidate block in the blockchainand the third value, check whether a block number of the candidate blockis greater than a block number of a latest block in the blockchain; andif yes, further compare the reference block height value with each ofthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and thethird value.

In the present implementation, the reference block height value is alargest block height value in the blockchain when the target transactionis created, or a reference block height value specified by a transactioncreator.

In the present implementation, the target transaction further includes aunique identifier of the target transaction; and the recording module303 is further configured to: if it is determined that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod, query whether a transaction idempotent record corresponding tothe unique identifier of the target transaction is stored in apredetermined transaction idempotent table, where the transactionidempotent table is used to store a transaction idempotent recordcorresponding to a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; and if the transaction idempotent record corresponding to theunique identifier of the target transaction is not stored in thepredetermined transaction idempotent table, record the targettransaction to the candidate block.

In the present implementation, the transaction idempotent recordindicates that a transaction corresponding to the transaction idempotentrecord has been successfully recorded to a distributed database of theblockchain; and the recording module 303 is further configured to: ifthe target transaction is recorded to the candidate block, and after aconsensus on the candidate block has been reached, the candidate blockis successfully stored to the distributed database of the blockchain,generate the transaction idempotent record corresponding to the uniqueidentifier of the target transaction, and insert the transactionidempotent record into the transaction idempotent table.

In the present implementation, the recording module 303 is furtherconfigured to: periodically delete a transaction idempotent record of atransaction beyond the transaction validity period in the transactionidempotent table.

For an implementation process of functions and roles of modules in theapparatus, references can be made to an implementation process of acorresponding step in the previous method. Details are omitted here forsimplicity.

An apparatus implementation basically corresponds to a methodimplementation. For related parts, references can be made to relateddescriptions in the method implementation. The previously describedapparatus implementation is merely an example. The modules described asseparate components may or may not be physically separate, andcomponents displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, inother words, the components can be located in one position, or can bedistributed on a plurality of network modules. Some or all of themodules can be selected based on actual requirements to achieve theobjectives of the solutions of the present specification. A person ofordinary skill in the art can understand and implement the solutions ofthe present specification without creative efforts.

The system, apparatus, or module illustrated in the previousimplementations can be implemented by using a computer chip or anentity, or can be implemented by using a product having a certainfunction. A typical implementation device is a computer. The computercan be a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, acamera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a mediaplayer, a navigation device, an email receiving and sending device, agame console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combinationof these devices.

The present application further provides an electronic deviceimplementation corresponding to the previous method implementation. Theelectronic device includes a processor and a memory configured to storea machine executable instruction. The processor and the memory aregenerally connected to each other by using an internal bus. In anotherpossible implementation, the device can further include an externalinterface, to communicate with another device or component.

In the present implementation, the processor reads and executes themachine executable instruction stored in the memory and corresponding toblockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: receive atarget transaction initiated by a member node device in a blockchain,where the target transaction includes a reference time parameter, andthe reference time parameter is used to determine whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within a transaction validity period;determine, based on the reference time parameter, whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; and record the target transaction to a generated candidate blockif it is determined that the target transaction is a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period.

In the present implementation, the reference time parameter is areference time stamp generated when the target transaction is created,the transaction validity period corresponds to a numerical intervalbetween a first value and a second value, the first value is adifference between a creation time stamp of the candidate block and afirst threshold, and the second value is a sum of the creation timestamp of the candidate block and a second threshold; and the processorreads and executes the machine executable instruction stored in thememory and corresponding to the blockchain-based transaction processingcontrol logic, to: compare the reference time stamp with each of thefirst value and the second value; and if the reference time stamp isgreater than the first value and less than the second value, determinethat the target transaction is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period.

In the present implementation, the processor reads and executes themachine executable instruction stored in the memory and corresponding tothe blockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: beforecomparing the reference time stamp with each of the first value and thesecond value, check whether the creation time stamp of the candidateblock is greater than a creation time stamp of a latest block in theblockchain; and if yes, further compare the reference time stamp witheach of the first value and the second value.

In the present implementation, the reference time parameter is areference block height value generated when the target transaction iscreated, the transaction validity period corresponds to a numericalinterval between a third value and a block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain, and the third value is a difference between theblock height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and a thirdthreshold; and the processor reads and executes the machine executableinstruction stored in the memory and corresponding to theblockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: compare thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the third value; and if thereference block height value is greater than the third value and lessthan the block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,determine that the target transaction is a valid transaction within thetransaction validity period.

In the present implementation, the processor reads and executes themachine executable instruction stored in the memory and corresponding tothe blockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: beforecomparing the reference block height value with each of the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain and the third value,check whether a block number of the candidate block is greater than ablock number of a latest block in the blockchain; and if yes, furthercompare the reference block height value with each of the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain and the third value.

In the present implementation, the target transaction further includes aunique identifier of the target transaction; and the processor reads andexecutes the machine executable instruction stored in the memory andcorresponding to the blockchain-based transaction processing controllogic, to: if it is determined that the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period, query whether atransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction is stored in a predetermined transactionidempotent table, where the transaction idempotent table is used tostore a transaction idempotent record corresponding to a validtransaction within the transaction validity period; and if thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction is not stored in the predetermined transactionidempotent table, record the target transaction to the candidate block.

In the present implementation, the transaction idempotent recordindicates that a transaction corresponding to the transaction idempotentrecord has been successfully recorded to a distributed database of theblockchain; and the processor reads and executes the machine executableinstruction stored in the memory and corresponding to theblockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to: if the targettransaction is recorded to the candidate block, and after a consensus onthe candidate block has been reached, the candidate block issuccessfully stored to the distributed database of the blockchain,generate the transaction idempotent record corresponding to the uniqueidentifier of the target transaction, and insert the transactionidempotent record into the transaction idempotent table.

In the present implementation, the processor reads and executes themachine executable instruction stored in the memory and corresponding tothe blockchain-based transaction processing control logic, to:periodically delete a transaction idempotent record of a transactionbeyond the transaction validity period in the transaction idempotenttable.

A person skilled in the art can easily figure out another implementationof the present specification after thinking over the presentspecification and practicing the present disclosure here. The presentspecification is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptationsof the present specification. These variations, uses, or adaptationsfollow the general principles of the present specification and includecommon knowledge or conventional techniques that are not disclosed inthe technical field of the present specification. The presentspecification and the implementations are merely considered as examples.The actual scope and the spirit of the present specification are pointedout by the following claims.

It should be understood that the present specification is not limited tothe precise structures that have been described above and shown in thedrawings, and various modifications and changes can be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present specification. The scope of thepresent specification is limited by the appended claims only.

The previous descriptions are merely preferred implementations of thepresent specification, but are not intended to limit the presentspecification. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvementmade without departing from the spirit and principle of the presentspecification shall fall within the protection scope of the presentspecification.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a computer-implementedmethod 400 for blockchain-based transaction processing, according to animplementation of the present disclosure. For clarity of presentation,the description that follows generally describes method 400 in thecontext of the other figures in this description. However, it will beunderstood that method 400 can be performed, for example, by any system,environment, software, and hardware, or a combination of systems,environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In someimplementations, various steps of method 400 can be run in parallel, incombination, in loops, or in any order.

At 402, a target transaction initiated by a member node device in ablockchain is received, wherein the target transaction comprises areference time parameter, and wherein the target transaction indicatinga transfer of an asset and associated data released by the member nodedevice to the blockchain for transfer to a candidate block.

In some implementations, the reference time parameter is a referencetime stamp generated when the target transaction is created, where thetransaction validity period corresponds to a numerical interval betweena first value and a second value, where the first value is a differencebetween a creation time stamp of the candidate block and a firstthreshold, and where the second value is a sum of the creation timestamp of the candidate block and a second threshold.

In some implementations, the reference time parameter is a referenceblock height value generated when the target transaction is created,where the transaction validity period corresponds to a numericalinterval between a third value and a block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain, where the third value is a difference betweenthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and athird threshold, and where determining, based on the reference timeparameter, whether the target transaction is the valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period comprises: 1) comparing thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the third value to determinewhether the reference block height value is greater than the third valueand less than the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and 2) in response to determining that the reference blockheight value is greater than the third value and less than the blockheight value of the candidate block in the blockchain, determining thatthe target transaction is a valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period.

In some implementations, the target transaction further comprises aunique identifier of the target transaction, where recording the targettransaction to the candidate block in response to determining that thetarget transaction is the valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period comprises: 1) in response to determining that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod, querying whether a transaction idempotent record correspondingto the unique identifier of the target transaction is stored in apredetermined transaction idempotent table, where the predeterminedtransaction idempotent table is used to store a transaction idempotentrecord corresponding to a valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period and 2) in response to determining that the transactionidempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier of the targettransaction is not stored in the predetermined transaction idempotenttable, recording the target transaction to the candidate block.

In some implementations, the transaction idempotent record indicatesthat a transaction corresponding to the transaction idempotent recordhas been successfully recorded to a distributed database of theblockchain; and where the method further comprises: 1) in response todetermining that the target transaction is recorded to the candidateblock, and that a consensus on the candidate block has been reached andthe candidate block is successfully stored to the distributed databaseof the blockchain, generating the transaction idempotent recordcorresponding to the unique identifier of the target transaction and 2)inserting the transaction idempotent record into the predeterminedtransaction idempotent table. From 402, method 400 proceeds to 404.

At 404, based on the reference time parameter, whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within a transaction validity periodis determined.

In some implementations, determining, based on the reference timeparameter, whether the target transaction is the valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period comprises: 1) comparing thereference time stamp with each of the first value and the second valueto determine whether the reference time stamp is greater than the firstvalue and less than the second value, determining that the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod and 2) in response to determining that the reference time stampis greater than the first value and less than the second value,determining that the target transaction is a valid transaction withinthe transaction validity period.

In some implementations, before comparing the reference block heightvalue with each of the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and the third value, the method 400 further comprises: 1)determining whether a block number of the candidate block is greaterthan a block number of a latest block in the blockchain and 2) inresponse to determining that the block number of the candidate block isgreater than the block number of a latest block in the blockchain,comparing the reference block height value with each of the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain and the third value. From404, method 400 proceeds to 406.

At 406, in response to determining that the target transaction is avalid transaction within the transaction validity period, recording thetarget transaction to the candidate block. After 420, method 400 canstop.

The described subject matter provides various technical advantages andeffects. For example, in some implementations, only a valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period can be used as a legaltransaction and recorded to the candidate block, while a transactionpreviously expired cannot be recorded to the candidate block forsubsequent transaction execution, so that an illegal node device in theblockchain can be prevented from initiating a replay attack on theblockchain by using the expired transaction previously intercepted bythe illegal node device, thereby improving a transaction security levelof the blockchain. A transaction passing the identity authentication onthe publisher and the verification on the transaction content in thetransaction pool and the transaction passing the legal verification onthe transaction can be used as candidate transactions and then packedand recorded to the created candidate block. Here, the node deviceserving as the ledger node can use, as candidate transactions, alltransactions passing legal verification, and record these transactionsto the candidate block; or select, as candidate transactions based on acertain principle (for example, based on a priority of a transaction),some transactions from all transactions passing the legal verification,and record these transactions to the candidate block.

A transaction execution environment of the node device serving as theledger node can be a multi-instance execution environment (for example,a same transaction client enables a plurality of threads that caninitiate a transaction simultaneously). In the multi-instance executionenvironment, the same transaction can be repeatedly submitted bydifferent instances of the same node device. Consequently, an“idempotent” problem can exist during transaction execution in theblockchain. The “idempotent” problem means that a negative impact iscaused to the user after the same transaction is repeatedly executed.For example, a “double spending” (double spending) problem in a bitcoinnetwork is a typical “idempotent” problem. Here, a transfer transactionsigned by using the private key of the user is intercepted by an illegalnode. After the transaction is executed, the illegal node can initiate areplay attack based on the intercepted transaction, and repeatedlyexecute the transaction in the blockchain. As a result, the same fundtransfer is executed a plurality of times, causing a fund loss to theuser. In consideration of this, to reduce repeated execution of atransaction in the multi-instance execution environment, node devicesserving as ledger nodes in the blockchain can jointly maintain atransaction idempotent table. For example, node devices serving asledger nodes can jointly maintain, by using an existing consensusmechanism of the blockchain, a transaction idempotent table obtainedafter a consensus procedure. The transaction idempotent table is anindex record table created based on a storage record (in other words, ablock record) of distributed data in the blockchain that records thevalid transactions within the transaction validity period, and is usedto store transaction idempotent records corresponding to all validtransactions successfully recorded to the distributed database of theblockchain. In other words, the transaction idempotent record stored inthe transaction idempotent table is used to indicate that a transactioncorresponding to the transaction idempotent record has been successfullypacked into the candidate block, and after a consensus on the candidateblock has been reached, the candidate block can be finally used as alatest block in the blockchain and successfully added to the distributeddatabase (in other words, a distributed ledger) in the blockchain. Insome implementations, before recording a valid transaction to thecandidate block, the node device serving as the ledger node can furtherperform an idempotent check on the transaction based on the transactionidempotent table, to determine whether the transaction is a duplicatetransaction that has been successfully recorded to the distributeddatabase of the blockchain.

In some implementations, in addition to the reference time parameterdescribed above, the transaction created by the user by using the clientcan further carry a unique identifier created by the client for thetransaction. For example, in actual applications, a node device in theblockchain can be a node device configured with a plurality ofinstances, and each instance has a unique instance ID. In this case, atransaction serial number can be a unique transaction serial numberincluding an instance ID and a generated random number. As anotherexample, if a node device in the blockchain is a distributed deviceincluding a plurality of devices, each device can have a unique deviceidentifier (for example, a device ID or an IP address of the device). Inthis case, a transaction serial number can be a unique transactionserial number including a device identifier and a generated randomnumber. After determining that a collected transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period, the node deviceserving as the ledger node can further query whether a transactionidempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier of thetransaction is stored in the transaction idempotent table. If thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe transaction is stored in the transaction idempotent table, itindicates that the transaction has been successfully recorded to thedistributed database of the blockchain before, and the transaction is arepeatedly initiated transaction. In this case, the transaction can bedirectly discarded. However, if the transaction idempotent recordcorresponding to the unique identifier of the transaction is not storedin the transaction idempotent table, it indicates that the transactionhas not been successfully recorded to the distributed database of theblockchain before. In this case, the node device can record thetransaction to the candidate block.

Embodiments and the operations described in this specification can beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software,firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in thisspecification or in combinations of one or more of them. The operationscan be implemented as operations performed by a data processingapparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storagedevices or received from other sources. A data processing apparatus,computer, or computing device may encompass apparatus, devices, andmachines for processing data, including by way of example a programmableprocessor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multiple ones, orcombinations, of the foregoing. The apparatus can include specialpurpose logic circuitry, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). The apparatus can also include code thatcreates an execution environment for the computer program in question,for example, code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack,a database management system, an operating system (for example anoperating system or a combination of operating systems), across-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combinationof one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment canrealize various different computing model infrastructures, such as webservices, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known, for example, as a program, software,software application, software module, software unit, script, or code)can be written in any form of programming language, including compiledor interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and itcan be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as amodule, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use ina computing environment. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (for example, one or more scriptsstored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to theprogram in question, or in multiple coordinated files (for example,files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions ofcode). A computer program can be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers that are located at one site or distributed across multiplesites and interconnected by a communication network.

Processors for execution of a computer program include, by way ofexample, both general- and special-purpose microprocessors, and any oneor more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random-access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data. A computer can be embedded in another device, for example,a mobile device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game console, aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device.Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and datainclude non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including, by wayof example, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic disks, andmagneto-optical disks. The processor and the memory can be supplementedby, or incorporated in, special-purpose logic circuitry.

Mobile devices can include handsets, user equipment (UE), mobiletelephones (for example, smartphones), tablets, wearable devices (forexample, smart watches and smart eyeglasses), implanted devices withinthe human body (for example, biosensors, cochlear implants), or othertypes of mobile devices. The mobile devices can communicate wirelessly(for example, using radio frequency (RF) signals) to variouscommunication networks (described below). The mobile devices can includesensors for determining characteristics of the mobile device's currentenvironment. The sensors can include cameras, microphones, proximitysensors, GPS sensors, motion sensors, accelerometers, ambient lightsensors, moisture sensors, gyroscopes, compasses, barometers,fingerprint sensors, facial recognition systems, RF sensors (forexample, Wi-Fi and cellular radios), thermal sensors, or other types ofsensors. For example, the cameras can include a forward- or rear-facingcamera with movable or fixed lenses, a flash, an image sensor, and animage processor. The camera can be a megapixel camera capable ofcapturing details for facial and/or iris recognition. The camera alongwith a data processor and authentication information stored in memory oraccessed remotely can form a facial recognition system. The facialrecognition system or one-or-more sensors, for example, microphones,motion sensors, accelerometers, GPS sensors, or RF sensors, can be usedfor user authentication.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments can be implementedon a computer having a display device and an input device, for example,a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode(OLED)/virtual-reality (VR)/augmented-reality (AR) display fordisplaying information to the user and a touchscreen, keyboard, and apointing device by which the user can provide input to the computer.Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with auser as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any formof sensory feedback, for example, visual feedback, auditory feedback, ortactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form,including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. In addition, a computercan interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documentsfrom a device that is used by the user; for example, by sending webpages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requestsreceived from the web browser.

Embodiments can be implemented using computing devices interconnected byany form or medium of wireline or wireless digital data communication(or combination thereof), for example, a communication network. Examplesof interconnected devices are a client and a server generally remotefrom each other that typically interact through a communication network.A client, for example, a mobile device, can carry out transactionsitself, with a server, or through a server, for example, performing buy,sell, pay, give, send, or loan transactions, or authorizing the same.Such transactions may be in real time such that an action and a responseare temporally proximate; for example an individual perceives the actionand the response occurring substantially simultaneously, the timedifference for a response following the individual's action is less than1 millisecond (ms) or less than 1 second (s), or the response is withoutintentional delay taking into account processing limitations of thesystem.

Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), aradio access network (RAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and awide area network (WAN). The communication network can include all or aportion of the Internet, another communication network, or a combinationof communication networks. Information can be transmitted on thecommunication network according to various protocols and standards,including Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G, IEEE 802, Internet Protocol(IP), or other protocols or combinations of protocols. The communicationnetwork can transmit voice, video, biometric, or authentication data, orother information between the connected computing devices.

Features described as separate implementations may be implemented, incombination, in a single implementation, while features described as asingle implementation may be implemented in multiple implementations,separately, or in any suitable sub-combination. Operations described andclaimed in a particular order should not be understood as requiring thatthe particular order, nor that all illustrated operations must beperformed (some operations can be optional). As appropriate,multitasking or parallel-processing (or a combination of multitaskingand parallel-processing) can be performed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for processingblockchain-based transactions, comprising: receiving a targettransaction initiated by a member node device in a blockchain, whereinthe target transaction comprises a reference time parameter, wherein thereference time parameter is a reference block height value generatedwhen the target transaction is created within a transaction validityperiod, wherein the transaction validity period corresponds to anumerical interval between a differential value and a block height valueof a candidate block in the blockchain, wherein the differential valueis a difference between the block height value of the candidate block inthe blockchain and a block height threshold, and wherein the referencetime parameter is used to determine whether the target transaction is avalid transaction within the transaction validity period; comparing thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the differential value todetermine whether the reference block height value is greater than thedifferential value and less than the block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain; in response to determining that the referenceblock height value is greater than the differential value and less thanthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,determining, based on the reference time parameter, whether that thetarget transaction is the valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period; and in response to determining that the targettransaction is the valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod, recording the target transaction to the candidate block.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the reference timeparameter is a reference time stamp generated when the targettransaction is created, wherein the transaction validity periodcorresponds to a numerical interval between a first value and a secondvalue, wherein the first value is a difference between a creation timestamp of the candidate block and a first threshold, and wherein thesecond value is a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidate blockand a second threshold.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein before comparing the reference block height value with each ofthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and thedifferential value, the computer-implemented method further comprises:determining whether a block number of the candidate block is greaterthan a block number of a latest block in the blockchain; and in responseto determining that the block number of the candidate block is greaterthan the block number of the latest block in the blockchain, comparingthe reference block height value with each of the block height value ofthe candidate block in the blockchain and the differential value.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the target transactionfurther comprises a unique identifier of the target transaction, whereinrecording the target transaction to the candidate block in response todetermining that the target transaction is the valid transaction withinthe transaction validity period comprises: in response to determiningthat the target transaction is the valid transaction within thetransaction validity period, querying whether a transaction idempotentrecord corresponding to the unique identifier of the target transactionis stored in a predetermined transaction idempotent table, wherein thepredetermined transaction idempotent table is used to store one or moretransaction idempotent record corresponding to one or more validtransaction within the transaction validity period; and in response todetermining that the transaction idempotent record corresponding to theunique identifier of the target transaction is not stored in thepredetermined transaction idempotent table, recording the targettransaction to the candidate block.
 5. The computer-implemented methodof claim 4, wherein the transaction idempotent record indicates that atransaction corresponding to the transaction idempotent record has beensuccessfully recorded to a distributed database of the blockchain; andwherein the computer-implemented method further comprises: in responseto determining that the target transaction is recorded to the candidateblock, and that a consensus on the candidate block has been reached andthe candidate block is successfully stored to the distributed databaseof the blockchain, generating the transaction idempotent recordcorresponding to the unique identifier of the target transaction; andinserting the transaction idempotent record into the predeterminedtransaction idempotent table.
 6. A non-transitory, computer-readablemedium storing one or more instructions executable by a computer systemto perform operations comprising: receiving a target transactioninitiated by a member node device in a blockchain, wherein the targettransaction comprises a reference time parameter, wherein the referencetime parameter is a reference block height value generated when thetarget transaction is created within a transaction validity period,wherein the transaction validity period corresponds to a numericalinterval between a differential value and a block height value of acandidate block in the blockchain, wherein the differential value is adifference between the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and a block height threshold, and wherein the reference timeparameter is used to determine whether the target transaction is a validtransaction within the transaction validity period; comparing thereference block height value with each of the block height value of thecandidate block in the blockchain and the differential value todetermine whether the reference block height value is greater than thedifferential value and less than the block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain; in response to determining that the referenceblock height value is greater than the differential value and less thanthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain,determining, based on the reference time parameter, whether that thetarget transaction is the valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period; and in response to determining that the targettransaction is the valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod, recording the target transaction to the candidate block.
 7. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein thereference time parameter is a reference time stamp generated when thetarget transaction is created, wherein the transaction validity periodcorresponds to a numerical interval between a first value and a secondvalue, wherein the first value is a difference between a creation timestamp of the candidate block and a first threshold, and wherein thesecond value is a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidate blockand a second threshold.
 8. The non-transitory, computer-readable mediumof claim 7, wherein before comparing the reference block height valuewith each of the block height value of the candidate block in theblockchain and the differential value, the operations further comprise:determining whether a block number of the candidate block is greaterthan a block number of a latest block in the blockchain; and in responseto determining that the block number of the candidate block is greaterthan the block number of the latest block in the blockchain, comparingthe reference block height value with each of the block height value ofthe candidate block in the blockchain and the differential value.
 9. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the targettransaction further comprises a unique identifier of the targettransaction, wherein recording the target transaction to the candidateblock in response to determining that the target transaction is thevalid transaction within the transaction validity period comprises: inresponse to determining that the target transaction is the validtransaction within the transaction validity period, querying whether atransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction is stored in a predetermined transactionidempotent table, wherein the predetermined transaction idempotent tableis used to store one or more transaction idempotent recordscorresponding to one or more valid transaction within the transactionvalidity period; and in response to determining that the transactionidempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier of the targettransaction is not stored in the predetermined transaction idempotenttable, recording the target transaction to the candidate block.
 10. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein thetransaction idempotent record indicates that a transaction correspondingto the transaction idempotent record has been successfully recorded to adistributed database of the blockchain; and wherein the operationsfurther comprise: in response to determining that the target transactionis recorded to the candidate block, and that a consensus on thecandidate block has been reached and the candidate block is successfullystored to the distributed database of the blockchain, generating thetransaction idempotent record corresponding to the unique identifier ofthe target transaction; and inserting the transaction idempotent recordinto the predetermined transaction idempotent table.
 11. Acomputer-implemented system, comprising: one or more computers; and oneor more computer memory devices interoperably coupled with the one ormore computers and having tangible, non-transitory, machine-readablemedia storing one or more instructions that, when executed by the one ormore computers, perform one or more operations comprising: receiving atarget transaction initiated by a member node device in a blockchain,wherein the target transaction comprises a reference time parameter,wherein the reference time parameter is a reference block height valuegenerated when the target transaction is created within a transactionvalidity period, wherein the transaction validity period corresponds toa numerical interval between a differential value and a block heightvalue of a candidate block in the blockchain, wherein the differentialvalue is a difference between the block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain and a block height threshold, and wherein thereference time parameter is used to determine whether the targettransaction is a valid transaction within the transaction validityperiod; comparing the reference block height value with each of theblock height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and thedifferential value to determine whether the reference block height valueis greater than the differential value and less than the block heightvalue of the candidate block in the blockchain; in response todetermining that the reference block height value is greater than thedifferential value and less than the block height value of the candidateblock in the blockchain, determining, based on the reference timeparameter, whether that the target transaction is the valid transactionwithin the transaction validity period; and in response to determiningthat the target transaction is the valid transaction within thetransaction validity period, recording the target transaction to thecandidate block.
 12. The computer-implemented system of claim 11,wherein the reference time parameter is a reference time stamp generatedwhen the target transaction is created, wherein the transaction validityperiod corresponds to a numerical interval between a first value and asecond value, wherein the first value is a difference between a creationtime stamp of the candidate block and a first threshold, and wherein thesecond value is a sum of the creation time stamp of the candidate blockand a second threshold.
 13. The computer-implemented system of claim 11,wherein before comparing the reference block height value with each ofthe block height value of the candidate block in the blockchain and thedifferential value, the operations further comprise: determining whethera block number of the candidate block is greater than a block number ofa latest block in the blockchain; and in response to determining thatthe block number of the candidate block is greater than the block numberof the latest block in the blockchain, comparing the reference blockheight value with each of the block height value of the candidate blockin the blockchain and the differential value.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 13, wherein the target transactionfurther comprises a unique identifier of the target transaction, whereinrecording the target transaction to the candidate block in response todetermining that the target transaction is the valid transaction withinthe transaction validity period comprises: in response to determiningthat the target transaction is the valid transaction within thetransaction validity period, querying whether a transaction idempotentrecord corresponding to the unique identifier of the target transactionis stored in a predetermined transaction idempotent table, wherein thepredetermined transaction idempotent table is used to store one or moretransaction idempotent records corresponding to one or more validtransactions within the transaction validity period; and in response todetermining that the transaction idempotent record corresponding to theunique identifier of the target transaction is not stored in thepredetermined transaction idempotent table, recording the targettransaction to the candidate block.
 15. The computer-implemented systemof claim 14, wherein the transaction idempotent record indicates that atransaction corresponding to the transaction idempotent record has beensuccessfully recorded to a distributed database of the blockchain; andwherein the operations further comprise: in response to determining thatthe target transaction is recorded to the candidate block, and that aconsensus on the candidate block has been reached and the candidateblock is successfully stored to the distributed database of theblockchain, generating the transaction idempotent record correspondingto the unique identifier of the target transaction; and inserting thetransaction idempotent record into the predetermined transactionidempotent table.